Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-01-25
CONTAGIOUS EVE DISEASES.
How They Are Spread by Towels. Files
and Spectaclea.

To mention a few Of the modes of con-
tagion, | have 10 speak, in the first place,
of towels, especially of that abominable
institution known as the roller towel,
which has been used so much in aSylumS
where forty, fifty or more chillrcn use
the slme towel, whether they have gram
ular ills or not. True, in a great many
Of these cases tho existence Of granular
ills was not known: but ever in CASES IN
which the existence Of the disease WIS
evident, the ignorance or ~carclcSurss Of
the persons in charge has allowed trans
mission 10y means Of towels To I've II u
the most frequent sources Of cUntaSion.
As a carrier Of the contagion the house
fly plays an important role, ESPECIALLY in
cases Of young children who are not able
TO protect Themselves against the visits of
this little animal. Attracted by the
sweetish olor Of the discharge 1t will set
tie upon the eyes of children affected
with the disease, especially infants, and
carry the contagion i'll lis claws To the
other eve or the eyes of s~lcvling infants.
SpcCtIcleS may he the carrier of the
contagion. | remember the case Of n
young lady who could not explain salts
factOrily how she came TO have granular
lids. Upon her return TO school she mem
toned that she had granular lids, where
upon one Of her classmates said: why,
that is the disease which | have lEcn suf-
fcring from for the last six months
This claSSmate was neal sighted and used
slazaaE Ma t..tInpt xx-aa .l.N ,tgar EIrltnl
but had not usrd glasses, and whenever
she wanted To see anything at "A distance
she was in the habit of borrowing the
~spcctaulcS uf her friend, and there ~ no
doubt in my mind that this WAS the
means Of carrying the poison from the
classmates eye In my PATIENT eye.
Children with granular lids are very
apt to rub the eyes. because the accrc-
ton, as il begins 10 dry on the edge Of
the lids, causes an irritating, itching
sensation. They will now play with other
children, and from their hands transfer
the poison TO the hands Of the other chil-
drcn, and these latter rubbing their eyes
contract the disease. Handling objects
which have been used 10y granular lids
patients may lie the means Of carrying
the contagion. A young lady who vol
untcered TO teach children affected with
granular lids, and who had been isolated
fIoin other children in a certain iDstiui-
ton. was warned to bc extremely careful
with regard TO using handkcrchiefs,
towels, or anything which b~'longel 10
the children. She was well aware Of the
danger, and promised TO he very careful.
She handled nothing whatever, she said,
that belonged TO the children, left her
cloak outside. and in the class room kept
away from the children a distance of five
or six feet. But upon examination of her
eyes, fourteen days after she had taken
office, il was found that she began to s,lf-
fer with granular lids. Upon inquiry ]
found that she had taken copybooks and
states Of the children for correction, and
in all probability she got the poison from
the states and hooks on her hands and
then conveyed il 10 her eyes. A teacher
of another section in the same institution
was more careful; she simply walked into
the class room, did not touch anything
belonging TO the children, and for two or
three months, during the duration Of this
epidemic, she was moi affected 10y the lis
ease. The atmosphere had evidently not
been the carrier Of the c%ontagion in the
first casc.-Medical and Surgical Reporter.